Under the Masks

The rain was lashing down relentlessly; no-one was out in the torrential downpour except one person, who was sitting in the park ignoring the torrent of water pouring down on him. Kudo Shinichi pulled the dark cap further down over his face as the wind threatened to take away his meagre disguise. Shinichi pulled his dark coat tighter around him with a small sigh as he relaxed into the cold bench; he was interrupted from this by his phone beeping in his pocket.

With numb fingers Shinichi pulled the phone and flipped it open to read the message:

Come back here

Shinichi checked, Haibara of course. Shinichi knew he should go inside, the antidote would wear off quicker if got more ill but he didn't care at this moment. After his kidnap by the international thief Kaitou Kid he needed some peace from the cameras and reporters. With the help of his mother he had staged his exit, telling the news crews that he needed time to recover from his ordeal and would be staying with his mother for a time. The news had pounced on the story with the enthusiasm and were making the Kid out as having psychologically damaged 'Conan'.

"Serves him right for kidnapping me" mumbled Shinichi

'Talking aloud to myself, I'm pretty sure my fever is getting worse'

Shinichi heaved himself off the bench slowly and moved down the path towards the city centre. He was careful to keep his face covered by the cap as he was supposed to be dead in the eyes of the Black Organisation, and missing in the eyes of the rest of the world. Shinichi's phone buzzed again, pulling him out of the daze he'd descended into while walking:

Ten minutes or I'm coming to get you

Short and to the point, exactly Haibara's style. Shinichi stopped under a tree and quickly searched his pockets unearthing several tracking devices; he placed them on one of the lower branches of the tree, just out of sight of passers by. Shinichi then went into the inner pocket of his large jacket that held his 'Conan' clothes and equipment. He pulled out the glasses, shoes, suspenders, belt and jacket and placed them on the tree as well, all of them had trackers on and he needed some time alone.

Shinichi hurried away from the tree and into the city, he knew he had a tracker on his phone as well but he would need better light to take that one off. Shinichi quickly found a small bar and ducked inside.

"Can I use your bathroom?" Shinichi asked politely with a bow to cover his face even more.

"Sure, just through that door" the bartender said, Shinichi bowed a little lower then stood and turned in a fluid movement so the man never saw his face. He went into the empty bathroom and set to work quickly, taking the back off his phone and locating the device.

"Smart Haibara, I can barely see this thing" Shinichi muttered extracting the very small device and putting it in a dark corner of the room before putting his phone back together and stepping out into the bar again.

"Thank you" he muttered quickly as he walked past the bar again and fled the bar before the man could answer.

Shinichi moved quickly through the streets like a shadow, most of the people in the high street didn't notice him as they were hurrying to get out of the rain or huddled under umbrellas. He slowed down as he reached an alleyway and walked nonchalantly into it. The alley was dark and covered so it was dry; Shinichi retreated to a dark corner near the middle of the dark passage and settled down in a small dent in the wall. He could faintly hear birds chirping and shuffling above him, sheltering from the rain like himself.

A few years ago Shinichi wouldn't have been like this, hiding in the dark. He would have been walking proudly down the streets of Beika, accepting the gestures of admiration from passersby with no grace whatsoever. Being 'Conan' had been humiliating for him in the beginning; he had no respect from anyone, and was too short to reach anything. He had to accept help from Ran and everyone around him. Going from independent and admired to a child had been difficult, he had been too stubborn at first to accept any help but had slowly realised he needed it. Even now, back in his true form, his true age he couldn't go back to the person he was, there was a death sentence hanging over his head while he was himself. Only as 'Conan' was he remotely safe and he detested that. As Shinichi he could only be a shadow behind the scene, as 'Conan' he could be up on the front lines and actively help them, help take down the Black Org, help with cases…

Even so he loved being himself, even if only for a short time. Shinichi could be alone and think without a guardian worrying. Buzz. He sighed as he pulled out his phone, so much for no guardian.

Very funny Kudo, Where are you? We'll come and get you

Shinichi grinned at the text a little; she wouldn't call him just in case he was somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. But she knows him well enough to know that his phone will be on silent. Slipping his phone away he leaned his head back against the cold wall. 'Conan' was much more likable than himself, Shinichi had been thinking a great deal lately, even if Haibara found the antidote he wouldn't be able to take it until the Black Org was taken care of, that could take years with his limited resources as 'Conan'. But he could instead take then antidote, disappear into the shadows and work behind the scene, it might get the job done quicker but that would leave his friends vulnerable.

He would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it; Haibara wasn't close to an antidote yet.

Shinichi pulled away from his musing when he heard a shuffling from the entrance of the alleyway. A figure walked into the gloomy little passage and strolled down, stopping a little way from Shinichi

"Is someone there?" the person asked. Shinichi huffed a little and shifted, trying to get the blood circulation back to his numbs legs in case he needed to run.

"Yes" Shinichi finally said in a soft voice in case he was recognised. The figure seemed to debate with himself silently for a few seconds before moving to the opposite wall and sitting down.

"I think this is the driest place in the area, I hope you don't mind me joining you for a little bit while I warm up" the person said. It was only then that Shinichi realised how cold he was and pulled the soaking coat closer to him.

"Be my guest" Shinichi muttered, from what he could tell the figure was male, his voice and speaking style put him in late teens and he seemed quite happy by the intonation of his words. "So what are you doing out at this time of night in the rain?"

"Oh looking for an acquaintance of mine, But I think the rain is too heavy to find him" the other teen sang, he shuffled around a bit but Shinichi couldn't see what he was doing. "What about you?"

"I like the rain" Shinichi said stiffly, jumping a little as his phone buzzed against his side through his pocket. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the phone.

I'll tell Mouri-san you're back and let her find you

Shinichi shivered at the consequences of what would happen if Haibara did that. And sent back a very short reply

Busy

He hoped that it would stop Haibara for a little while longer.

"That your girlfriend?" the other person said jovially.

"No my….sister" Shinichi muttered

"Oh she must be worried about you, maybe you should go home" The other figure said. Shinichi saw the boy stand up from the little light cast from the street. He walked over to Shinichi and settled down beside him. "Kuroba Kaito" he said and stuck out his hand. Shinichi took it apprehensively

"Ku…uh Kudan" Shinichi stuttered.

"Is that your real name?" Kuroba asked and Shinichi could just imagine the boy cocking his head in interest

"No"

"Then can I give you a name?"

"Can't we stick with Kudan?" Shinichi mumbled; how he managed to get stuck with this guy he would never know.

"…fine." Shinichi could hear the pout in his voice. He jumped as he felt Kuroba touch his face. "Wow your cold, you're going to get ill if you don't go and dry off" Kuroba jumped to his feet and grabbed Shinichi, pulling him up. "Right so where do you live?"

"As if I would tell a stranger such a thing" Shinichi grumbled at him as the other held him up while he got accustomed to the change in altitude.

"Okay then lets find a warm place and get a hot drink" Kuroba said and dragged him out of he alleyway

"Do I have a choice in this?" Shinichi asked with a sigh as he let the other drag him along back into the rain.

"Nope" he grinned and turned away from him, dragging him along to find somewhere warm. Shinichi let Kuroba ramble on as he zoned out, picking up bits of the conversation as they walked. It seems that Kuroba did not mind if Shinichi remained silent and happily spoke about his life at school and what he did in his spare time, which was apparently spent learning magician's tricks. "Oh here, it should be warm in here" Kuroba finally said and Shinichi pulled himself out of the fog to find himself in Touto Tower. It was warm and sheltered but it was also bright, Shinichi pulled the cap lower over his face as they moved over to the elevators to go up to the observation deck. No one was up here because the rain obscured the view of the city so the place was entirely deserted. "Here" Kuroba said settling Shinichi on a bench "take off your coat and hang it on the railings near that vent to dry and I'll go get us a drink from the deck below" he said and wandered off.

Shinichi watched him leave with trepidation; the whole situation seemed strange somehow, no one should be this friendly with a stranger. Shinichi shrugged off the coat and hung it next to the warm vent, standing close to try and dry his trousers a bit before going back to the bench and sitting down. He let his gaze wander around the room, subconsciously note the exits, state of the windows, possible hiding places and sniper range, in this weather it would be close, perhaps less than 50 metres. No building was a tall as this one so he was safe from potential snipers.

A tweeting drew his attention and he saw a white dove sitting on the ledge near window. Shinichi briefly wondered how he had not noticed that before and put it down to the cold and being ill. The elevator dinged and Shinichi turned and saw Kuroba walking towards him with two steaming cups. He had not noticed before but they looked the same, this was the first time he had seen the other boy in good light, or face on.

Kuroba sat down and offered him one of the cups.

"You know I have a friend you might know" Kuroba started conversationally "His name is Hakuba Saguru, he's a detective"

"Why would I know him?" Shinichi asked guardedly

"Because you are Kudo Shinichi, a detective that was quite popular up until a few years ago when you mysteriously vanished and have only been seen a handful of times since then." Shinichi jumped up, dropping the hot drink as he did so and backing away. Kuroba put the drink down carefully and stood up with his hands out slightly, showing that he was unarmed. "Don't be so paranoid, you have lots of fans, even now, my knowing your identity shouldn't come as such a shock to you."

Shinichi took a few steps further away and hit the railing near the windows.

"If you knew me the whole time why the charade?" Shinichi asked looking around for the easiest exit.

Kuroba causally moved to the right, blocking the nearest exit. Shinichi glared at the other teenager, he didn't look or act like a threat but looks can be deceiving.

"Well Kudo-san, I thought that talking in an alleyway wouldn't be as comfortable as talking up here so I neglected to mention it until now"

Shinichi shuffled a little, pressing himself against the railing. He was paranoid, but he had a good reason to be: first; The Black Org thought he was dead and if any of them found out about him he would undoubtedly be killed along with everyone he knew and cared about. Second; he could turn back into 'Conan' at any time and then this unknown individual would know his secret. Third; this stranger didn't act right for a supposed fan, he was too familiar with him while fans were normally very polite and full of adoration for him, even after his absence. Finally, that bird would not stop tweeting. Shinichi turned around to glare down the offending bird but it did not even pause in its chirps to give him a second glance.

Turning back to the other teen he relaxed slightly, Kuroba had not moved. When he caught his gaze he purposefully stepped back until he reached the bench and sat down, his hands still where Shinichi could see him. Shinichi walked forward slowly and sat down beside him.

"I'm surprised you knew what to do" Shinichi said, being deliberately vague.

"Well of course, Hakuba-kun gets really paranoid sometimes after cases and he's nearly knocked me out more than once for playing a trick on him without realising he was on edge" Kuroba said conversationally, still not moving his hands but starting to tap his feet against the floor.

"So you learned how to calm him down?" Shinichi said, still watching Kuroba like a hawk but relaxing minutely.

"And recognise the signs of paranoia" Kuroba added "That's why I wanted to talk to you, you look stressed and on edge"

The detective narrowed his eyes at the teenager "When you first met me I was in an alleyway with barely any light…how would you know if I was paranoid?"

Kuroba grinned at him but still didn't move his hands, "Because of how you were speaking, very warily and shortly, like you were thinking about what you were saying and didn't want to reveal too much" Kuroba said "and the fake name, huge giveaway to paranoia" Kuroba added.

Shinichi glared at him, "Why would I tell you anything? I don't know who you are you could tell someone, it would be dangerous and irresponsible of me to tell you anything"

"Then don't be specific…or talk about Conan-kun"

"What about him?" Shinichi asked sharply

"He was kidnapped by Kid wasn't he? It's been heard that he learned a lot from you, I thought his kidnapping would have made you worry"

"He was kidnapped by Kaitou Kid, that thief has an honour code that he seems to stick to even at the cost of his own life" Shinichi said "It was interesting to see how many people forgot that when he was taken though"

"Does that mean you trusted Kid…to an extent?" Kuroba asked still tapping his feet.

"You're a Kid fan I guess" Shinichi stated.

"Yes I admire him as a magician, it is what I want to do with my life so watching his tricks is very entertaining," Kuroba said with a little grin, more to himself than to Shinichi.

"That is why you can't seem to stay still; entertainers do tend to be on the move constantly. And what do you think of his thievery?" Shinichi asked with interest, shivering a little.

"He isn't a bad thief, he gives back what he steals, and that counts for something doesn't it?" Kuroba asked, Shinichi was shocked at the serious expression on the others face, like he wanted the confirmation for himself.

"It is interesting how much his fans want to try and paint him as a good guy. However, I agree with you in a small way. He is breaking the law but he does redeem himself by giving back the jewels. Compared to the murders I see, his thievery is a slightly less serious pass time for me as I don't have to worry about the ramifications of his escape…except another heist." Shinichi told him musingly

"Maybe you should go to more of his heists, they sound like a stress reliever for you," Kuroba told him. Shinichi laughed a little.

"I don't think it would work out that way if I went to one," Shinichi told him and stood up, walking away from him to stare out of the rain-covered window, it was getting dark now.

"Oh you're facing away from me, does that mean your calm enough for me to move more?" Kuroba asked with childish glee. Shinichi nodded absently, Kuroba didn't seem to know that he and 'Conan' were one and the same. So even if he told anyone about their conversation then the Black Org would just try to find him and hopefully leave 'Conan' alone until they found Shinichi. Only after they found him as Shinichi would they go after 'Conan'…well that was the strategically best method. He had considered this many times, mostly at night when he could not sleep.

He turned around to see Kuroba juggling enthusiastically with at least ten juggling balls, but it was hard to count because of their sheer speed.

"I think you would get on with Hakuba-kun, you both seem to have the same emotional range, well externally anyway. I have no idea what you feel inside" Kuroba rambled as he added things to the juggling sequence such as a watch, a phone and other random items.

That reminded Shinichi that Haibara may have texted him and went to check his phone in his jacket. He pulled out the item and checked, sure enough, there were two texts:

One Hour

And

Tell me where you are

Shinichi checked the time of the texts, the first was just over an hour ago and the second was only minutes ago. He huffed and put a hand up to his head, he felt warmer than he had earlier. If his fever got any worse, it would trigger his change earlier. He ignored the stuffy feeling he was starting to get and turned back to Kuroba who was still awaiting his answer

"I have not met Hakuba-san formally, but I'm sure I will get on with him if I ever get the chance" Shinichi told him. Looking closely at the other boy he was reminded of someone else but he couldn't think of who.

"You know Kudo-san, we're very similar to each other," Kuroba said.

"How so?"

"We both have a poker face" Kuroba told him

"You're the class clown right? People at school know nothing about your true personality apart from the personality you show them, a joker per se" Shinichi deduced.

"Correct, and you are the stoic knight that only shows a tough exterior and projects a personality like armour to hide your secrets," Kuroba reasoned.

"A Joker and a Knight" Shinichi mused. "What an interesting idea"

"Yes, they could also be called …alter ego's don't you agree?" Kuroba said with a peculiar tilt of his head and grin.

"I…guess so" Shinichi said, he knew he was missing something but he didn't know what.

Shinichi suddenly felt a throb of pain throughout his body

'Not now' Shinichi groaned to himself. He saw Kuroba put the juggling balls away quickly and grab his shoulder

"Kudo-san? Are you okay?" Kuroba asked

"You have to leave" Shinichi garbled as he leaned back against the wall flinching as another pang flashed through his body.

"Do you need an ambulance?" Kuroba asked, obviously alarmed by Shinichi's sudden degradation.

"No, you have to leave me" Shinichi told him, forcefully pushing his hands away before withdrawing them and pressing his hand against his chest as another pulse flew through him.

"Okay Kudo-san, I'll leave you" Kuroba said, looking like he wanted to do anything but that "Only if you promise to tell me your alright in the next few days" Kuroba said, putting his hands on Shinichi's shoulders and making him look up at him.

"How?" Shinichi gasped

"By phone" Kuroba told him firmly and then pulled his hands away. He stood up, moved the now cold drink to the floor from the bench, and pulled Shinichi from the wall and placed him down onto it. Shinichi felt Kuroba do something with his hand and saw him stand up. "Okay Kudo-san, remember what you promised me and I'll leave, against my better judgement" Kuroba said with a slight shake to his voice.

"Yes, I said I would …" Shinichi broke of with a gasp as he felt another flash of agony, making him curl in on himself.

"KUDO" Kuroba barked

"….tell you I'm alright" Shinichi finished breathlessly. He looked up and saw the concern on the other boys face.

"Okay…I'll leave" Kuroba said slowly and he walked away. Shinichi listened to him until he heard the elevator then let out a groan of pain and lay down on his side.

The world became hazy. At one point, he thought he saw the little white dove from earlier land on the bench next to his head, but after the next convulsion ended, the bird was gone. He wasn't sure if it had been there at all. Shinichi held his hands tighter over his chest, he knew he would shrink soon and he wished he had told Haibara where he was.

The ache in his chest greyed his vision and he saw a movement in front of him next to the window. He thought he saw someone sitting on the railings but he couldn't have. Kuroba had left, he heard him leave.

"Kuroba?" he gasped. No movement. He let his head thump back onto the bench and tried to relax. The torment intensified and he shouted out in agony, unable to stop himself. He was dimly aware that this was a public place that anyone could walk into at any point but the pain was too unbearable to contain.

Shinichi lost consciousness.

Shinichi woke up slowly; he was lying in a bed, warm and dry.

"So you decided to wake up Kudo-kun…or should I say Edogawa-kun now" Haibara said as she entered through the door.

Shinichi looked at himself and moaned, he had shrunk back to 'Conan'. Haibara smirked at him

"That's what you get for staying out in the rain" she told him as she settled on the bed. "You're lucky we got to you in time, otherwise someone else might have found you before we did"

"How did you find me?" Conan asked, picking up the glasses on the dresser and completing his disguise.

"You sent me a text" Haibara told him with a puzzled expression "Don't you remember?"

"No, I didn't send you a text. I was in to much pain" Conan told her, Haibara gave him a surprised look and left the room, returning quickly with her phone. She handed it to him silently and he flicked through until he found the message inbox. There were two messages from him:

Busy

And

Touto Tower, observation deck. Hurry

"I only sent the first one" Conan told her.

"You must have sent it, the phone was right next to your hand when we found you" Haibara huffed, looking like she expected him to shout surprise.

Conan leaned back against the pillows and let his mind wander back, he didn't remember even touching his phone, but he remembered thinking someone was there

"Haibara…was there anyone there when you found me?" Conan asked urgently

"No of course not, just you and a few birds, I'm surprised you didn't scare them off actually, you must have been screaming in pain" she informed him. "Why?"

"No reason" he lied "I'm going to get some more sleep" he said and rolled onto his side. Haibara sighed and moved off the bed and walked out the door

"You better tell me what it is that's bothering you" she told him before leaving.

Conan waited a few seconds and then sat up; his phone was on the table where his glasses had been. He picked it up and looked at his sent box. The message had been sent from his phone. Kuroba must have sent it. Kuroba…

'He wanted me to phone him, but how do I do that unless he gave me his number'

Conan flicked through his contacts until he found one he didn't recognise: 'Joker' Conan sighed,

'Must have put it in after he sent the text message'

He composed a short message, thanking him for texting Haibara and telling him that he was fine. Conan sent the message and set the phone back on the table. He only had to wait a few minutes before his phone buzzed.

Glad it helped, she obviously found you then, if you ever need someone to talk to don't hesitate to ask :)

Joker

"Strange boy" Conan muttered,

'I should delete his number; I doubt I'll ever use it again'

Conan went back into his contacts and found the contact, he pressed the appropriate keys: 'Delete Contact?'

Conan hovered over the 'Yes' button for some time but found himself thinking about how intriguing the teenager had been. Everything he had said had seemed to have a second meaning to it. He wanted to figure Kuroba out, but as Conan he wouldn't be able to…

He sighed, frustrated with himself before hitting the 'No' and flinging the phone down onto the bed. He could delete it another day. Maybe after he had met him again.

A/N: This was just a short companion fic to 'Saviour in White'. I'm not sure how well it went, but lots of people liked that story so I thought they might like an after fic. Kuroba and Kudo always seem to meet as their alter ego's in the anime so I thought this would be a nice complimentary fic where they meet as themselves. Happy reading :) (I wonder if anyone actually reads these, if they don't its just a little ranting section for me ^.^)